With the Buffy the Vampire Slayer revival series having wrapped its pilot and eyeing a release date early next year, things are in full swing for Sarah Michelle Gellar to return to the role that made her a household name. We know that the series will center on a different slayer, Ryan Kiera Armstrong’s Nova, with Gellar’s titular OG demon hunter serving in somewhat of a mentor role. Additionally, many names have been announced to be joining the sequel series’ cast, but no word has been shared yet about which familiar faces from the original we can plan to see spill into the follow-up. And, while folks like James Marsters have thrown their hats (or, in his case, bleach hair coloring) into the ring, one iconic member from the beloved series of yesteryear can officially be ruled out.
During a recent interview, Eliza Dushku, who played Buffy’s fellow slayer, Faith, revealed that she wouldn’t be returning for the follow-up or any other on-screen project for that matter. “I will not be in front of a camera again unless it’s in some capacity that is in service of my new work and passion,” the Dollhouse star said while chatting about the Netflix documentary, In Waves and War, which she executive produced.
Now 17 years sober, the ex-actress works in the mental health field and absolutely loves what she does and admits that she doesn’t have any desire to return to the world of acting.
“People ask me all the time if I miss it. And I don’t. Again, not because it wasn’t fulfilling. It was, and I did it for 25 years. I’ve met people who point out to me that I have lived these two lives, and I value both of them. But I think that was part of my story and now I get to do this other life, and it’s beautifully rich.”
Eliza Dushku’s Lengthy Acting Career
Dushku first got her start as a child actor, starring opposite Juliette Lewis in Craig Bolotin’s 1992 film, That Night. In addition to portraying Faith, the tough-as-nails baddie slayer that first appeared in Buffy during the third season, she’s perhaps best known for her work opposite Kirsten Dunst in the 2000 classic Bring It On. Following the end of Buffy and its spin-off Angel, in which she also appeared, Dushku landed the leading role in the Fox supernatural procedural, Tru Calling. From there, she reteamed with Buffy universe creator, Joss Whedon, for his trippy gone-too-soon sci-fi series, Dollhouse. By 2017, she had a change of heart and relocated from LA back to her home of Boston to strike out in a new direction as a mental health specialist.
Despite the terrible news that Dushku won’t be part of the Buffy sequel series cast, we’re looking forward to the future projects she’ll executive produce and how her voice will show up in other spaces.
via Collider